[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 52639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21540]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XA651


New England Fishery Management Council; Public Meeting

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The New England Fishery Management Council (Council) is 
scheduling a public meeting of its Scallop Advisory Panel on September 
12, 2011 to consider actions affecting New England fisheries in the 
exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recommendations from this group will be 
brought to the full Council for formal consideration and action, if 
appropriate.

DATES: This meeting will be held on Monday, September 12, 2011 at 9 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott, 225 
McClellan Highway, East Boston, MA 02128; telephone: (617) 569-5250; 
fax: (617) 569-5159.
    Council address: New England Fishery Management Council, 50 Water 
Street, Mill 2, Newburyport, MA 01950.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, 
New England Fishery Management Council; telephone: (978) 465-0492.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Advisory Panel will make recommendations 
for the Scallop Committee to consider related to Framework 23 to the 
Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Framework 23 is considering 
alternatives related to four specific issues: (1) Potentially require a 
turtle deflector dredge for scallop dredge vessels; (2) revise the 
yellowtail flounder accountability measures (AMs) proposed in Amendment 
15; (3) possibly modify how catch in state waters is accounted for in 
both the limited access general category management program for the 
Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) area and the limited access general 
category IFQ fishery; and (4) modify when a scallop vessel declares 
into the scallop fishery to improve fleet operations. The Panel will 
also discuss recommendations related to potential 2012 Council work 
priorities for the Scallop FMP. Other business may also be discussed at 
this meeting. For example, recent data suggest that windowpane flounder 
bycatch in the scallop fishery increased dramatically in 2010. The 
Scallop advisors may discuss possible reasons why and brainstorm 
recommendations for potential accountability measures if the Council 
decides to allocate a sub-ACL of windowpane flounder to the scallop 
fishery in a future action under the Groundfish FMP.
    Although non-emergency issues not contained in this agenda may come 
before this group for discussion, those issues may not be the subject 
of formal action during this meeting. Action will be restricted to 
those issues specifically listed in this notice and any issues arising 
after publication of this notice that require emergency action under 
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, provided the public has 
been notified of the Council's intent to take final action to address 
the emergency.

Special Accommodations

    This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Paul J. Howard, Executive Director, at (978) 465-
0492, at least 5 days prior to the meeting date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: August 18, 2011.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-21540 Filed 8-22-11; 8:45 am]
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